Stud mill



A. FEHR STUD MILL Dec. 21, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 15, 1963 ARTHUR FEHR INVENTOR BUG/(HORN, BLORE, KLAROU/ST 8 SPAR/(MAN ATTORNEYS Dec. 21, 1965 A. FEHR 3,224,475

STUD MILL Filed July 15, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 5

Fig. 4

i B N l/E /V 70/? Y BUCKHOR/V, BLORE, K LAROU/S 7' 8 SPAR/(MAN N ATTORNEYS log, securely in the desired position.

United States Patent Ofitice 3,224,475 Patented Dec. 21, 1965 3,224,475 STUD MILL Arthur Fehr, Cache Creek, British Columbia, Canada Filed July 15, 1963, Ser. No. 294,935 Claims. (Cl. 143-54) The invention relates to a stud mill, particularly to a stud mill in which a log can be transversely controlled to secure the maximum production from the log.

At present it is well known that in the saw mills for cutting up logs the waste runs extremely high. The slabs could only be processed into 1-inch boards which most mills do not consider economical to process into 1-inch stock. Also defective or twisted logs are wasted.

The main object of this invention is to provide a stud mill for logs in which there is an increase in production inhigh quality studs and a decrease in waste.

Another object is to provide a stud mill in which defective twisted logs can be utilized in lumber production.

Another object is to provide a stud mill which is efiicient, durable, economically manufactured, and has easy portability.

Another object is to' provide a stud mill having remotely controlled hydraulically operated members adapted when set to hold a log to be cut firmly in a suspended position, and thus permit a log to be passed through the saws of the stud mill without any movement of the log in relation to the cut of the saws.

Another object is to provide a stud mill having an overhead suspension for the log carriage which is mounted on tracks which are thus free from all sawdust and chips. This effects much smoother running of the carriage and thus makes truer cut cants than are possible with the previous types of sawmills.

Another object is to provide a stud mill that makes it possible to set the log in the best position possible to the cut of the saws and thus make it easy to cut the cants from the best part of the log. This type of control is not present in conventional types of saw mills.

Another object is to provide a stud mill that gives the operator much better control over all movements of the log carriage. This improved control over the carriage feed eliminates all jamming of the saws, and thus makes possible smoother and faster movement of the log carriage.

The above objects are accomplished by providing a stud mill having a metal cradle for the logs mounted behind the head saws. The cradle is mounted on a rack and pinion havinga controlling lever'nearthe saw controls. The controlling lever moves the cradle transversely of the stud mill, that is crosswise to the direction of the saws, and the operator thus controls the position of the log according tov its shape, straightnessand Whether it is desired to cut a thick and a thin slab or two equal slabs. Hydraulically operated dogs are pivotally mounted on a carriage above the log cradle so as to be dropped down from the overhead carriage to engage the 'ends of the log and clamp the There are three dogs for engaging each end of the log and the dogs are mounted on the carriage so that they pass between the saw blades when the log is being moved through the blades. The carriage is suspended from overhead rails and is hydraulically operated by means of a doublesend piston cylinder mounted between the rails. The piston arm-s extending from either end of the cylinder are each about seven feet'longand thus the carriage has an overall length of travel of 14 feet. A system of cables connected to the piston arms and sheaves increases the travel of the carriage to three times the travel of the piston.

The invention consists in the novel arrangements, construction and combinations of parts hereafter described and shown in the drawings.

FIGURE 1 is a schematic view in elevation of the stud mill.

FIGURE 2 is a View of the mechanism for adjusting the transverse position of the logs in the stud mill.

FIGURE 3 is apart view of the mechanism for eliminating side play of the log carriage between the over head tracks.

FIGURE 4 is a view of the controlling mechanism for the log carriage.

FIGURE 5 is a viewof the log carriage.

Referring to the drawings, particularly FIGURE 1, the stud mill consists of a steel base frame 1 of rectangular or other suitable shape, steel uprights 2 mounted on the base frame 1, and tracks 3 mounted longitudinally of the frame 1 supported by the uprights 2; A carriage to be described in more detail later is supported on the tracks 3 by wheels 4 and 5.

The carriage is provided on itsforward and rear ends with dogs 6 and 7' respectively. The stud mill shown is provided with three dogs 6' and 7 at each end of the carriage but the mill is designedto use any'number of saws and dogs depending on the size of the logs-to be cut. A log 8 is shown in FIGURE 1' with the dogs 6 and 7 holding the log in longitudinal position of the carriage.

As shown in FIGURES l and 2 the log 8 to be cut is supported on a cradle or trough 9. The lower end of the cradle or trough 9 is provided with a rack 10 which is in mesh with a pinion 11 mounted on the frame 12. A lever 13 is pivotally mounted at 14 on the frame member 12. An arm member 15 is'pivotally connected at 16 to the lever 13, and an arm member 17 is pivotally connected at 18 to the arm member 15 and to the pinion-11 at 19. The log 8 may be moved transversely on-the carriage cradle 9 by using the lever 13 in order to position the log being cut in the best position for the saws 20 to limit the waste in the log to as little as possible.

Hydraulic mechanism is mounted" above the tracks 3 for moving the log carriage along the tracks longitudinally of the stud mill. This consists as shown in FIGURES 1 and 4 of sheaves 21, 22, 23 and 24 and cables 25 and 26 which are connected to a double acting piston 27 Ma hydraulically operated cylinder 28. Levers 29 and- 30 operate hydraulic valves mounted on frame 1, these valves control the operation of the pistons 27, '42 and'43 in the hydraulic cylinders 38, 39 and 40. The hydraulic hoses for the cylinder 28 are shown at 31' and 32. One end 33 of the piston 27 is connected to the cable 25 and the other end 34 is connected to the cable' 26.

Pulley 35 and the weight 36 control the slack in the hydraulic hoses to' the cylinders 39 and 40, this slack being caused as the carriage moves from end to end. As shown in FIGURE 4 the carriage is moved forwardly or rearwardly in the stud mill by the cables 25 and 26 which are connected to the respective ends of the carriage at 37 and 38. v

As shown in FIGURES l and 5, hydraulically'o'perat'ed cylinders 39 and 40 are mounted above the'logcai"riage 41. These hydraulically operated cylinders 39 and'40'are controlledby valve lever 30 mounted on frame 1. The piston rods 42 and 43 of the cylinders 39 and 40respectively are pivotally connectedat 44"and- 4510 the arms 46 and 47 which are'pivotallyconnected at 48 and 49to the dogs 6 and 7 as shown in FIGURE 5 to raise or lower the dogs to fasten or release the log 8.

Referring to FIGURE 3 a wheel 48 is shown on an oifset axle 49. The wheel 48 may be adjusted to eliminate any side play of the'carriage 41 between the tracks 3. A guide 50 is mounted on the tracks 3 to maintain the carriage 41 on the tracks 3 at all times.

The sheaves 21, 22, 23 and 24 and the cables'25 and 26 which are connected to the piston 27 of the hydraulic waste conveyor.

cylinder 28 increase the travel of the carriage 41 to three times the travel of the piston 27.

As shown in FIGURE 1, 51 is a hydraulic pump. The slabs and cants are passed from the stud mill to an edger by means of pulleys 52, 53 and 54, which through a belt 55 operate rollers 56, 57 and 58 to carry the cants and slabs to the edger.

After the cants are cut in the stud mill, the slabs and cants are moved from the stud mill to a ganged edger. The edger has two clusters of saws, of which the cluster to the operators left consists of five saws spaced two inches apart and the cluster of saws to the operators right consists of three saws spaced four inches apart. Thin slabs are rejected at the edger and dropped onto a Thick slabs are passed through the right side ofthe edger and cut to 4-inch width. The cants are passed through the saws at the left side of the edger and reduced to 2 inches by 4 inches. All the pieces are returned from the outfeed end of the edger by live belt to the infeed end for inspection. The 4-inch slabs, which are now sawn on three sides, are placed on their 2-inch edge and passed through the left hand cluster of saws of the edger to produce the extra 2-inch by 4-inch studs than are produced in present saw mills. The studs are then strip piled and dried.

As a result of the above described stud mill a high percentage of top quality studs is produced and also the fact that only small logs are used for stud cutting which are vastly superior to large logs. The stud mill also minimizes waste at the planer, and is also adaptable to the cutting of ties or cross arms in having the ability to handle small logs swiftly, accurately and economically.

The stud mill is designed for easy portability and is about 22 feet long and 6 feet wide and is picked up and laid down in about 4 hours. No special blocking or an- ,choring is necessary, and because of its dimensions, no

highway permit is needed to move it.

While the invention has been fully described with particular reference to the specific embodiments, it is understood it is not to be limited thereto but is to be construed broadly and limited only by the scope of the claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive .property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A stud mill comprising a frame consisting of substantially horizontal base members, vertical members and transverse members, carriage tracks mounted on the upper parts of said vertical members, a carriage movably mounted on said carriage tracks, a hydraulic cylinder, a double acting piston having piston arms extending through each end of the said hydraulic cylinder, speed-multiplying means including a plurality of sheaves connected to the ends of said piston arms, a plurality of cables, and a plurality of sheaves mounted on said frame over which said cables pass, the said cables connected to the ends of said carriage to move said carriage along said tracks, hy-

draulically operated arms pivotally mounted on the ends of said carriage, log holding dogs extending from the said. pivotally mounted arms adapted to be raised and lowered into inoperative and operative position, a log cradle, adjustable transversely adjustable means of said frame for supporting the logs in cutting position, and saws mounted in said frame.

2. A stud mill as described in claim 1 in which the log cradle is provided with a ratchet, said ratchet contacting a pinion mounted on the frame, a lever mounted on the frame, arms pivotally connected to the lever and pinion for moving the said log cradle transversely.

3. A stud mill as described in claim 1 in which said belt and pulley means for moving the cants and slabs an upwardly facing, imperforate trough at one side of said axis extending toward the saws and generally transverse to said axis and adapted to receive and slidably support a log in a position above said axis and extending toward the upper portions of the saws,

the trough being of a length substantially as great as that of said log, supporting the log and overlapping the rear end of the log, an overhead carriage movable from a loading position over the trough past the saws to a discharge position on the other side of said axis,

and a pair of dog means carried by the carriage for engaging opposite ends of a log on the trough at points spaced from the paths of the saws and sliding the log along the trough and through the saws to saw the log into cants.

5. The stud mill of claim 4 including means mounting the dog means pivotally on the carriage means between a retracted, log-clearing position raised above a log on the trough and an operative position extending down- .wardly from the carriage and serving to push the log through the saws.

6. The stud mill of claim 5 wherein each of the pair of dog means is comb-like and is provided with a plurality of arms,

each of the arms having a row of teeth spaced vertically therealong when the arms are in engagement with a the arms of one dog means being laterally aligned with the arms of the other dog means and positioned to pass between and outside of the saws to hold securely cants and slabs sawed from the log.

7. In a stud mill,

an upwardly facing, generally horizontal, imperforate loading trough adapted to receive and slidably support a log of a predetermined length,

the trough being of a length substantially as great as that of said log and adapted to support the log and overlapping the rear end of the log to permit the log to he slid freely forwardly along the trough,

a plurality of spaced circular saws,

an arbor mounting and rotating the circular saws in spaced positions at the forward end of the trough at a level such that a log slid along the trough passes into the upper portions of the saws,

an overhead carriage movable from a loading position over the trough along the trough and over the saws to a discharge position at the side of the saws opposite to that at which the trough is located,

and a pair of dogs each having a plurality of log gripping elements carried by the carriage for gripping the end faces of the log and movable between the saws to push the log through the upper portions of the saws as the carriage is moved from its loading position to its discharge position.

8. The stud mill of claim 7 including a hydraulic cylinder device having a predetermined travel,

and pulley and cable means coupling the carriage to the hydraulic cylinder device for multiplying the travel of the carriage relative to that of the hydraulic cylinder device.

9. The stud mill of claim 7 including means for adjusting the trough transversely of the longitudinal axis thereof.

10. In a stud mill,

a plurality of circular saws,

an arbor rotatable on a predetermined horizontal axis mounting the saws in spaced positions thereon, i

an elongated frame including a track extending-past the saws and transverse to the arbor,

a carriage movable along the track,

a plurality of end dogs on the carriage positioned to pass between the saws,

5 6 a hydraulic cylinder fixed to the frame in a position References Cited by the Examiner paralleltothetrack, UNITED STATES PATENTS a double acting piston slidable in the cylinder and ex- 436 420 9/1890 Hadgson tending out of the two ends of the cylinder, 496142 4/1893 smith a plurality of sheave means mounted on the ends of the 5 1 7914O6 2/1931 gfig jf tt: 143 117 frame and the ends of the rods of the piston, 28O3:272 8/1957 Crosby 1 X and a pair of cables trained over the sheaves to form 870,803 1/1959 gppler 7 X therewith a pair of block and tackles and connected at the ends thereof to the ends of the rods of the WILLIAM DYER, Examine"- Piston and to 10 DONALD R. SCHRAN, Examiner. 

1. A STUD MILL COMPRISING A FRAME CONSISTING OF SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL BASE MEMBERS, VERTICAL MEMBERS AND TRANSVERSE MEMBERS, CARRIAGE TRACKS MOUNTED ON THE UPPER PARTS OF SAID VERTICAL MEMBERS, A CARRIAGE MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID CARRIAGE TRACKS, A HYDRAULIC CYLINDER, A DOUBLE ACTING PISTON HAVING PISTON ARMS EXTENDING THROUGH EACH END OF THE SAID HYDRAULIC CYLINDER, SPEED-MULTIPLYING MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SHEAVES CONNECTED TO THE ENDS OF SAID PISTON ARMS, A PLURALITY OF CABLES, AND A PLURALITY OF SHEAVES MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME OVER WHICH SAID CABLES PASS, THE SAID CABLES CONNECTED TO THE ENDS OF SAID CARRIAGE TO MOVE SAID CARRIAGE ALONG SAID TRACKS, HYDRAULICALLY OPERATED ARMS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE ENDS OF SAID CARRIAGE, LOG HOLDING DOGS EXTENDING FROM THE SAID PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ARMS ADAPTED TO BE RAISED AND LOWERED INTO INOPERATIVE AND OPERATIVE POSITION, A LOG CRADLE, ADJUSTABLE TRANSVERSELY ADKYSTABLE MEANS OF SAID FRAME FOR SUPPORTING THE LOGS IN CUTTING POSITION, AND SAWS MOUNTED IN SAID FRAME. 